Getting set up
Getting set up is a short checklist: permissions, your circle, Medical ID if you want it, and a PIN. When those are in place, you are ready.
-
Emergency call
On Android, one tap opens the dialer with the emergency number filled in. On iPhone, one tap opens the call and iOS asks you to confirm. You tap call. Guardian Pin does not place the call. This is separate from the email to your circle. It keeps working if there's a short lapse in your subscription.
The emergency call screen. Your phone opens the dialer with the local number ready. You tap call. -
How people are told
Add the people you trust with an email. They do not need an account, and they do not need the app. Guardian Pin emails them. There is no invite. The email shows your location when it is sent, and a private link to a page that follows your location while the alert is active. The email itself is not updated after it is sent.
Add someone you trust. An email is how they are told. They do not need an account. -
Price
One subscription of CA$2.99 a month covers everything, and the emergency call button keeps working if there's a short lapse.
-
No ad tracking
There is no ad tracking. Sign-in is Apple or Google. The PIN stays on the phone.
They know you need them
The people you love see where you are, straight away, and they know when you are safe. How it works.
- You hold the button.
- They get an email with the map and the time. While the alert is active, the private page follows the location as it updates.
- Someone taps "I've got this / I'm on my way". Everyone else sees who is on the way.
- You end the alert with your PIN. Live location stops, and they get an email that you are safe.
Who it's for
Ordinary days, when someone you love is out: a run, a shift, a trip, the walk home. Guardian Pin is for adults and older teens. You need to be 13 or older in the United States and Canada, 14 or older in Quebec, and 16 or older everywhere else.
-
Heading out for the day -
Parents who live on their own -
Exploring the great outdoors -
Evening commutes
The rest of the day
Ordinary time together.
-
Weekend bike rides -
Heading out on your own -
A day out together -
Family days at the beach
After dark
Dawn, dusk, and the walk home.
-
Nights out with friends -
Walking home on winter nights
In the app
Sign-in
Sign-in with Apple or Google is required during first launch, before the rest of the app. That sign-in is the account: one account per person. There is no separate username. The emergency call stays reachable with no account.
Contacts and circles
You can type a phone number or an email, or import people from the phone's address book. The app only reads that book. It does not change it, and it uploads only the people you save. Set up circles by urgency: Standard, High, or Critical. You can add, rename, and delete circles. Alerts go to the primary circle. That circle cannot be deleted until you choose another one.
Hold to alert
Hold the button for 2 seconds. That emails your circle. The people in it do not need the app.
Only your PIN ends an alert
Ending an active alert asks for your app PIN. That stops live location for this alert, and your circle gets an email that you are safe. A test alert does not ask for the PIN. The emergency call does not either.
While the app is locked
The app can stay locked behind your PIN. You can still hold to alert, or open the dialer, from the lock screen. Unlocking the rest of the app needs your PIN. The PIN stays on the phone.
Send a test to your circle
Send a test so your circle can see what an email looks like. The message is marked so they know no action is needed. It does not include your location or Medical ID, and it does not open the dialer.
Discreet mode
Discreet mode uses quieter navy and gold, so a glance is less likely to look like an emergency app. Hold to alert still works.
Calculator decoy
A calculator decoy hides Guardian Pin. Enter your PIN, then =, to come back. Anyone can use the calculator as a calculator.
Text my circle
Text my circle opens your phone's Messages app with your circle's numbers and your location filled in. You tap Send.
Medical ID
Medical ID has separate optional fields for biological sex and gender identity. A section is shared only when its toggle is on, only after you consent, and only with your primary-circle contacts through the alert link while an alert is active. Guardian Pin does not send Medical ID to paramedics or responders.
Recordings
If you allow the camera and microphone, audio and video can be recorded during an alert, with a visible recording indicator. While a clip waits on the phone it is encrypted with AES-256-GCM. Guardian Pin decrypts it before upload, sends it over HTTPS, and does not encrypt the copy stored on the server. That is not end-to-end encryption. Your clips are private to you. Only you can watch them, in the app, when you are signed in. They are not shown to your circle, they are not on the alert page, and they are not in the alert email.
In an emergency
Guardian Pin is a notification tool plus a call you start. It emails the contacts you chose. Those people are not professional responders. They may not see the email, or act on it, in time. Sending an alert needs a data connection, signal, and battery. Guardian Pin does not contact emergency services itself. On Android, one tap opens the dialer with your local emergency number filled in. On iPhone, one tap opens the call and iOS asks you to confirm. You tap call. Guardian Pin does not place the call. If that cannot open, call your local emergency number yourself.